Marshall goes 2-2 on coast trip

Coach Bruce Branch wanted to see how his Marshall Academy baseball team stacked up against quality competition.

The Patriots went 2-2 in the Battle on the Beach, a challenging spring break event on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

“You know when you come down here, you will see quality baseball,” Branch said while traveling home on Thursday of last week. “I think this sets up well for the crucial district games we have ahead of us. We did a lot of things well. We have to take the positives from this trip and build on them.”

MA-Quitman

Marshall dug out of a hole to knock off Quitman 11-5 in its Battle on the Beach opener Monday, March 14.

Branch’s squad found itself down 5-0 after the top of the second inning.

“We came out a little slow and faced some adversity,” he said. “We seemed over anxious at the plate. But we overcame the deficit and got a big win.”

The Patriots rallied with one run in the bottom of the second, four in the fourth and six in the fifth.

Jordan Bonds had a key hit and two runs-batted-in. Rusty Bolden had two RBIs. Colton Foster and Colton Atherton each drove in a run with a hit. Jack Smith had the other MA hit. Getting an RBI each were Walker Sanders, Landon Houston and Jamie Graves.

Jackson Graves started on the mound. He struck out four, walked two and gave up six hits in four innings of work. He was relieved by Sanders in the top of the fifth with the game tied at 5. Sanders struck out two, walked none and gave up no hits. Marshall then scored six to end it.

“Walker (who got the win) came in and slammed the door,” Branch said. “He has not had a lot of bullpen time, but he was ready for the challenge.”

MA-Northpoint

Matt Bourdon turned in what his head coach called “a pitching gem” versus Northpoint Christian School March 14, and the Patriots won 5-3.

The Trojans entered the game ranked number one in their division in Tennessee.

Bourdon, who tossed the full seven innings, struck out six, walked only one and gave up five hits.

“He threw 109 pitches,” Branch said. “I really didn’t want him to go seven, but he wanted the ball. Those were encouraging words to hear. Just one walk — that was the difference in the game.”

Bourdon and Atherton led an eight-hit offensive attack with two each. Jamie Graves drove in a pair of runs. Getting a hit and an RBI each were Houston and Sanders. Colton Neal and Smith also had one hit apiece.

The Pats trailed 3-2 at the end of the first, but tied the game in the top of the second and went on to win by two.

“We competed really well against Northpoint,” Branch said. “From top to bottom, every aspect of the game, we played at a high level. We put a complete game together.”

Marshall-MRA

The Patriots ran into one of the top big school teams in Mississippi Tuesday, March 15, and fell 13-5 to Madison Ridgeland Academy.

“We knew it would be a tough game,” he said, “but we found ourselves in a fight with them.” Marshall was down 7-5 after scoring three in the top of the third. Then MRA pulled away with six in the bottom of that inning.

“We competed well — just ran out of gas,” Branch said.

Bonds had a hit and drove in two runs for MA. Neal had a hit and an RBI. Atherton added a pair of hits. Smith drove in a run.

Houston started on the mound and took the loss. He struck out three, walked four and gave up six hits. Bolden followed — striking out one, walking one and giving up five hits. Tucker Chumney also pitched. He gave up one hit and had no walks and no strikeouts.

MA-Parklane

The Patriots wrapped up their trip to the beach with a 53 loss to Parklane Academy, another much larger school.

“One inning decided the game,” Branch said. The Patriots were up 3-1 entering the fourth, when the Pioneers tallied four. The rest of the game was scoreless.

“After they went up, we just couldn’t get back in the game,” Branch said.

Marshall had four hits and Parklane five. Getting one hit each for the Pats were Atherton, Bolden, Bonds and Neal. Sanders, Houston and Bonds each had an RBI.

Foster pitched three and a third innings and got the loss. He struck out seven, walked four and gave up four hits. In three and two-thirds innings of relief, Sanders struck out three, walked none and gave up only one hit.

“Overall, it was a good trip for us,” Branch said. The

Patriots (11-3) visited Lee Academy (Clarksdale) Monday for a pair of District 14A games. They then host the Colts Thursday at 6 p.m. They go to Tunica Academy Saturday at 1 p.m. And then visit Myrtle for a 7 p.m. Contest that same day. Next Tuesday, March 29, they return to district action at Oak Hill Academy in West Point, a district doubleheader starting at 4 p.m.